Rogers Scholars Taylor Calebs of Menifee County and Kristyn Densmore of Laurel County discovered they have a true passion for medicine this summer while exploring different healthcare career options.

While maneuvering through a difficult and challenging ropes course to reach to the top of a 55-foot tower, Rogers Scholar Destini Engle of Whitley County had to trust her safety harness—and her teammates holding the safety ropes below— would not let her down.

Rogers Scholar Merry Osborne of Breathitt County also learned effective leadership comes from a desire to keep an open mind and listen to everyone, including the person in the back of the room, for ideas and possible solutions to problems.

These are some of the valuable life lessons members of the 2010 Class of Rogers Scholars will remember and apply to their lives as they continue to build their leadership and entrepreneurial skills and work to make their home communities in Southern and Eastern Kentucky a better place to live.

The Center for Rural Development’s Rogers Scholars program, as seen by these examples set by this year’s graduates, is changing lives and building a brighter future for the region’s next generation of leaders.

“I have had an incredible experience at Rogers Scholars,” Meredith Thompson, 16, a rising junior at Monroe County High School, said. “The friends I have met and the lessons about leadership, entrepreneurship, and community service all will be remembered throughout my life.”

Seventy-three participants, some of the most talented, creative, and goal-oriented high school students from across Southern and Eastern Kentucky, were selected by The Center to be a part of this summer’s Rogers Scholars program.

For many of these participants and graduates, their lives will not be the same.

Rogers Scholar Annette Dangerfield of Green County already is looking at starting a recycling campaign at Green County High School. Another Scholar, Todd Yoder of Jessamine County, said he plans to get his Bible study group involved in an outreach program with local veterans so they can share stories and develop a bond of friendship.

“This program has built up my self-confidence and my pride in being from Eastern Kentucky,” Rogers Scholar Logan Finley of Lawrence County said. “I have learned the importance of education and service to my community.”

Rogers Scholars—The Center’s flagship youth program—emphasizes the development of technological skills and builds in participants a sense of leadership, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a commitment to rural Kentucky.

“Rogers Scholars instills in young people the desire to serve their home communities and the region by assuming a leadership role, if they haven’t already, as soon as they graduate from the program,” Lonnie Lawson, president and CEO of The Center, said. “These students truly represent the best and brightest minds in our region and are the next generation of leaders in Southern and Eastern Kentucky.”

This summer, The Center expanded its Rogers Scholars program to give even more students in its 42-county primary service region a chance to share the experience and added a new major, healthcare, providing participants with opportunities to explore different careers in the medical profession.

“During our major, we experienced hands-on training on what it is like to work in the healthcare field,” Rogers Scholar Hannah Smith of Clay County said. “We toured Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital, watched a film about brain surgery, talked to professionals, and learned the workings of a real medical practice.

“This experience allowed me to see that I truly love science,” she said.

Rogers Scholar Kyle Allen of Johnson County, and other members of the healthcare teams, worked in the science lab at Somerset Community College to dissect a pig’s heart and analyze blood samples.

Other Rogers Scholars put their skills to work to learn more about engineering and video production. The Engineering Teams used high-speed cameras to document several hands-on experiments testing their knowledge as future engineers, and the Video Production Teams wrote, produced, and even starred in a number of short films. The student-produced films were shown to family members and friends on the final day of each Rogers Scholars session at an awards and graduation program.

The 2010 Rogers Scholars program was held June 27-July 2 and again on July 11-16 on the grounds of The Center, located at 2292 South U.S. 27 (at Traffic Light No. 15) in Somerset.

Each graduate will receive an offer of a college scholarship from 14 participating colleges and universities in Kentucky, and one university in Tennessee.

“The Center is honored to share the Rogers Scholars experience with all 73 of the graduates in both the first and second summer sessions representing our largest group of participants in the history of the 12-year program,” Jessica Melton, associate director of leadership and training for The Center, said. “These students have exemplified strong leadership skills and a commitment to our region.”

The Center for Rural Development, located in Somerset, Ky., provides economic and community development programs to residents in a 42-county service area of Southern and Eastern Kentucky, and is home to several statewide and national technology-based programs. For more information on programs available through The Center, visit www.centertech.com.